Sheet receiver for patient repositioning system

1. A sheet receiver for a patient repositioning system comprising:

a housing adapted to be supported at a first end of a bed deck;

a pulling device located in the housing, and located primarily within an internal compartment of the housing;

the housing having an access door adapted to open and to close so as to provide access to the internal compartment, the housing also having an elongated slot extending along a first end thereof;

a connector having an innermost end secured to the pulling device within the internal compartment and an outermost end removably attachable to a sheet located on a mattress supported on the bed deck, the connector spanning substantially the length of the slot; and

at least one securement element located on an outer surface of the housing and adapted to cooperate with a corresponding securement element associated with the mattress.

2. A sheet receiver for a patient repositioning system comprising:

a housing adapted to be supported at a first end of a bed deck;

a pulling device located in the housing, and located primarily within an internal compartment of the housing;

the housing having an access door adapted to open and to close so as to provide access to the internal compartment via an opening, the housing also having an elongated slot extending along a first end thereof and spaced from the opening,

a connector having an innermost end secured to the pulling device within the internal compartment and an outermost end removably attachable to a sheet located on a mattress supported on the bed deck, the connector spanning substantially the length of the slot; and

means for impeding the inadvertent insertion of the connector and/or the sheet into the internal compartment via the opening.

3. The sheet receiver of claim 2 wherein the means for impeding further comprises:

a blocking strip spanning the opening defined by the access door, thereby to help prevent inadvertent insertion of the connector and/or the sheet into the compartment via the opening.

4. The sheet receiver of claim 2 wherein the access door and the housing define an opening edge along the opening, and the means for impeding further comprises:

adjacent the opening edge, at least one interlaced finger extending from one of the access door and the housing and into a complementarily shaped recess formed in the other of the access door and the housing, whereby complete closing of the access door is impeded by said at least one interlaced finger if at least one of the connector and the sheet extends into the compartment via the opening.

5. The sheet receiver of claim 2 and further comprising:

a drive mechanism operatively connected to the pulling device and located at least partially within the housing and adapted to cause the pulling device to pull the sheet with a patient supported thereon toward a head end of the bed deck;

a controller operatively connected to the drive mechanism and located at least partially within the housing; and

an interlock sensor associated with at least one of the access door and the housing, operatively connected to the controller, and adapted to sense when the access door is completely closed and to thereby generate an enabling signal to the controller to enable actuation of the drive mechanism.

6. The sheet receiver of claim 5 and further comprising:

at least one bumper located on the access door, the at least one bumper adapted to be contacted by the sheet within the internal compartment when too much sheet has been wound into the internal compartment, thereby to cause the access door to open and to cause the interlock sensor to terminate the enabling signal to the controller.

7. The sheet receiver of claim 2 wherein the access door extends along the top of the housing and is substantially parallel with the slot, and the access door is hingedly connected to the housing so as to open and to close along a hinge axis.

8. The sheet receiver of claim 2 wherein the means for impeding further comprises:

a drive mechanism operatively connected to the pulling device and located at least partially within the housing and adapted to cause the pulling device to pull the sheet with a patient supported thereon toward a head end of the bed deck;

a controller operatively connected to the drive mechanism and located at least partially within the housing; and

a sensor associated with at least one of the access door and the housing, operatively connected to the controller, and adapted to sense a condition whereby at least one of the sheet and the connector extends through the opening, and to thereby generate a disabling signal to the controller to disable actuation of the drive mechanism.

9. The sheet receiver of claim 2 and further comprising:

at least one end of the housing, a sheet guide located within the internal compartment and extending inwardly from said at least one end of the housing, the sheet guide adapted to prevent bunching of the sheet against an inside wall of the internal compartment after the sheet is pulled into the internal compartment via the slot.

10. A sheet receiver for a patient repositioning system comprising:

a housing adapted to be supported at a first end of a bed deck;

a pulling device located in the housing, and located primarily within an internal compartment of the housing;

the housing having an access door adapted to open and to close so as to provide access to the internal compartment via an opening, the housing also having an elongated slot extending along a first end thereof and spaced from the opening,

a connector having an innermost end secured to the pulling device within the internal compartment and an outermost end removably attachable to a sheet located on a mattress supported on a bed deck, the connector spanning substantially the length of the slot;

a drive mechanism operatively connected to the pulling device and located at least partially within the housing and adapted to cause the pulling device to pull the sheet with a patient supported thereon toward the head end of the bed deck;

a controller operatively connected to the drive mechanism and located at least partially within the housing; and

a sensor associated with at least one of the access door and the housing, operatively connected to the controller, and adapted to sense a condition whereby at least one of the sheet and the connector extends through the opening, and to thereby generate a disabling signal to the controller to disable actuation of the drive mechanism.

11. A sheet receiver for a patient repositioning system comprising:

a housing adapted to be supported at a first end of a bed deck;

a pulling device located in the housing, and located primarily within an internal compartment of the housing;

the housing having an access door adapted to open and to close so as to provide access to the internal compartment via an opening, the housing also having an elongated slot extending along a first end thereof and spaced from the opening,

a connector having an innermost end secured to the pulling device within the internal compartment and an outermost end removably attachable to a sheet located on a mattress supported on a bed deck, the connector spanning substantially the length of the slot; and

wherein the access door and the housing define an opening edge along the access opening, and adjacent the opening edge at least one interlaced finger extends from one of the access door and the housing into a complementarily shaped recess formed in the other of the access door and the housing, whereby complete closing of the access door is impeded by said at least one interlaced finger if at least one of the connector and the sheet extends into the compartment via the opening, thereby to assure proper routing of the connector and the sheet into the compartment via the slot.

12. The sheet receiver of claim 11 and further comprising:

each of the housing and the access door including a plurality of interlaced fingers, each of which extends into an opposing complementary shaped recess when the access door is closed.

13. The sheet receiver of claim 11 and further comprising:

a drive mechanism operatively connected to the pulling device and located at least partially within the housing and adapted to cause the pulling device to pull the sheet with a patient supported thereon toward a head end of the bed deck;

a controller operatively connected to the drive mechanism and located at least partially within the housing; and

an interlock sensor associated with at least one of the access door and the housing, operatively connected to the controller, and adapted to sense when the access door is completely closed and to thereby generate an enabling signal to the controller to enable actuation of the drive mechanism.

14. The sheet receiver of claim 13 and further comprising:

at least one bumper located on the access door, the at least one bumper adapted to be contacted by the sheet within the internal compartment when too much sheet has been wound into the internal compartment, thereby to cause the access door to open and to cause the interlock sensor to terminate the enabling signal to the controller.

15. A sheet receiver for a patient repositioning system comprising:

a housing adapted to be supported at a first end of a bed deck;

a pulling device located in the housing, and located primarily within an internal compartment of the housing;

the housing having an access door adapted to open and to close so as to provide access to the internal compartment, the housing also having an elongated slot extending along a first end thereof;

a connector having an innermost end secured to the pulling device within the internal compartment and an outermost end removably attachable to a sheet located on a mattress supported on the bed deck, the connector spanning substantially the length of the slot; and

at least one bumper located on the access door, the at least one bumper adapted to be contacted by the sheet within the internal compartment when too much sheet has been wound into the internal compartment via the pulling device, to cause the access door to open and to thereby indicate that further operation of the pulling device should be terminated.

16. A sheet receiver for a patient repositioning system comprising:

a housing adapted to be supported at a first end of a bed deck;

a pulling device located in the housing, and located primarily within an internal compartment of the housing;

the housing having an access door adapted to open and to close so as to provide access to the internal compartment, the housing also having an elongated slot extending along a first end thereof;

a connector having an innermost end secured to the pulling device within the internal compartment and an outermost end removably attachable to a sheet located on a mattress supported on the bed deck, the connector spanning substantially the length of the slot; and

at least one end of the housing, a sheet guide located within the internal compartment and extending inwardly from said at least one end of the housing, the sheet guide adapted to prevent bunching of the sheet after the sheet is pulled into the internal compartment by the connector via the slot.